Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for autonomously generating Web portal templates.
Description of the Related Art
Many entitles (e.g., business, individuals, groups, organizations) provide online or electronic access to information and/or services via Websites hosted via one or more Webservers. The Websites typically comprise one, or more typically, multiple Webpages. Webpages typically include information or content, and may include one or more hyperlinks to other Webpages.
Each of the Webpages is generated using a number of data files and coded using a markup language such as HyperText Markup Language (HTML) or Extensible HyperText Markup Language (XHTML). A Web browser (e.g., Internet Explorer®, Safari®, Opera®, Firefox®) uses the contents of an HTML or XHTML file to generate visible and/or audible Web pages on a Website user's output device. The HTML or XHTML code is not ordinarily directly displayed on the Webpage, but is instead used by a Web browser operating on the recipient device to interpret or generate the content of the Webpage. HTML differs from programming language in that HTML describes the structure and content of a Web page semantically along with cues for presentation, making it a markup language.
HTML elements form the building blocks of all Websites. HTML permits embedding images and objects in the Web page and also may be used to create interactive forms. HTML provides a convenient format for creating structured documents by denoting structural semantics for text such as headings, paragraphs, lists, links, quotes and other items. Scripts such as JavaScript may be embedded on a Web page. Such scripts can affect the behavior of various aspects of an HTML Web page. HTML may additionally include formatting commands in the form of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) that define the look and layout of text, images, and other information presented on Webpages. The Worldwide Web Consortium (“W3C”), maintainer of both the HTML and the CSS standards, encourages the use of CSS over explicit presentational HTML.
The Website for any given entity typically has an aesthetic (i.e., look and feel) and/or organization (e.g., layout) which is at least somewhat consistent across the various Webpages of the Website. This standardization of the look and feel, as well as overall organization, facilitates use by Website users, and also assists the Website users in recognizing that they are moving between Webpages within a distinct Website, rather than linking to Websites of other entities.
The aesthetic and organizational aspects or characteristics for a Website may, for example, include a color of a background, colors of headings or text, color, font style and/or font size of headings, text, as well as relative position of headings, text, and images on the Webpage. For instance, each Webpage of a given Website may share a same background color, and each may have a topmost heading which shares a same color, font style, and font size as the other Webpages of the Website. Also, for instance, each Webpage may include a same or similar organizational structure or layout, for instance, with a topmost heading along a top of each Webpage, a number of user selectable icons in a list extending vertically along a left margin of each Webpage, and entity identification information and copyright notice extending horizontally along a bottom margin of each Webpage. Of course, Websites and Webpages may employ a large variety of other aesthetic and organizational aspects or characteristics. The use of CSSs has facilitated consistency across the Webpages of a Website.
In some instances, the Website may include or implement a Web portal, for example, to provide online or electronic access to content and/or services. The Web portal may, for example, provide online or electronic access to content and/or services hosted by a dedicated system, for example, a back office or backend system. For example, the Web portal may provide access to a back office or backend system such as an accounting system, client relationship management (CRM) system, order or package tracking system, fulfillment system, etc., to name a few. The back office or backend system may be operated by or for the same entity as the entity which operates the Website or for which the Website is operated. Alternatively, the back office or backend system may be operated by or for a different entity than the entity which operates the Website or for which the Website is operated.